To This Day
by The Wandering Quill
Summary: A series of related holiday oneshots written for Elsanna Week December 2014. Day 4 - No Peeking (aka, "In Which Decoy Presents are Frustrating")
1. Mistletoe

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Frozen_ or Milo from _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_—they belong to Disney.

**Author's Note:** I don't have a Tumblr, but here's my contribution for Elsanna week! I'll try to make each prompt creative and break from the usual mold…which means some things might not be entirely fluff. Or they might be long. Or complicated. Every prompt is connected in a way, even if it doesn't seem like it until Day 7, where everything will hopefully fall into place.

For Day 1, I did some research to get away from the usual kissing under the mistletoe moments (don't worry, you'll still get your kiss!), and the explanation behind this one is located at the end. Accounts vary, so I apologize in advance if what I found is wrong, and let me just say that there are no set rules in this particular 'verse. Regarding the Norse gods, and all. While my personal headcanon is that Elsa's powers were a blessing from Skadi…erm…you know what, never mind. Here, they're a legend—old tales and stuff. Maybe.

…Just enjoy Day 1, and also pretend that _Atlantis_ didn't take place in 1914 because I need Milo Thatch for reasons. :D Also, they are unrelated in this particular one—everything's basically the same except Anna's just a princess from another kingdom spending time at Elsa's for the holidays.

* * *

><p><strong>To This Day<strong>

**Day 1 – Mistletoe**

* * *

><p>Yes, Anna <em>could<em> have gotten a normal mistletoe like everyone else.

Yes, it _would_ have been much, _much_ easier to obtain.

And yes, it _definitely_ would have been safer.

…But really, this was about _Elsa._

And Elsa deserved so much more.

"My apologies, Princess Anna, but I think I may have misheard your request," Grand Pabbie said as he blinked a few times in rapid succession, his weathered, stony face chiseled into a puzzled look. "What is that you want…exactly?"

Anna took on a more resolute stance, placing her hands on her hips as she smirked proudly at the elder troll staring up at her, his mossy eyebrows scrunched together. "I think you heard me the first time," the princess stated simply, narrowing her eyes a little as he shifted on his feet. "And yes, that's what I said."

"But…are you sure about this, Your Highness? Couldn't you have gone for something more…" Here, he gestured helplessly with his rocky hands, brow furrowing even further. "…simple? I am sure that Queen Elsa cares more for the thought rather than its value. And with the supposed _history_ behind this particular—"

"That's exactly why, Grand Pabbie!" Anna exclaimed excitedly, causing more than a few trolls to glance over from their spots back in the main clearing. She had shooed them away earlier when she had first arrived, wanting to speak with the elder troll in private. No need for everyone to hear her master plan, after all.

"Elsa deserves more than just any old mistletoe, and this one is the most important one! I read about it in a book!"

"Yes, but do you not remember what this book of yours said it did?" Grand Pabbie asked in exasperation, frowning.

"And don't you remember what happened afterwards?" Anna countered, her lips curling back into a smirk as the frown vanished on the elder troll's face. He blinked once, dark eyes softening. She could almost see him mentally sift through the vast library of his knowledge, eventually coming across the same version of the story she had.

"It is still a dangerous journey to undertake, Your Highness," the elder troll finally said. "The old legends, they are…well, they are uncertain. Your quest may very well be in vain."

"But we'll never know unless I try!" the princess persisted, sinking to her knees in front of him until she was almost at eye-level. "Will you help me, Grand Pabbie? Please? Pretty please with fire crystals on top?"

Anna gave her best puppy-dog pout, teal eyes big and filled with hope, but ready to turn immediately doleful if he turned her down. There were very few individuals in all of Arendelle who could hope to withstand its power.

And unfortunately, the elder troll was not one of them.

"Very well," Grand Pabbie conceded with a loud sigh, his mossy eyebrows relaxing for the first time since their conversation began. "I will point you towards its most probable location, but I cannot guarantee that you will find it there."

The princess excitedly stood up. "_Yes!_ Oh, thanks Gr—"

"_However_," the elder troll interrupted her with a pointed look, "you must promise me that you will find a guide, or a traveling companion of some sort to accompany you on your quest."

She sat back down.

"And it will not be just _any_ promise, no…It will be _binding_. So do not think you can go off on your own with none the wiser." He ran a hand tiredly down his face, heaving another great sigh. "If Queen Elsa does not kill me for allowing you to go on this journey in the first place, she most definitely will if I allow you to go alone."

Anna reached out to place a hand over his, smiling gently. "Elsa isn't a killer, Grand Pabbie. I doubt she'll actually resort to killing you, but if it will 'save your life', then…I promise."

The rocky hand beneath hers glowed a faint gold, along with his eyes. "Again, Your Highness."

She swallowed, trying to stifle any nervousness at the fact that what she would say next would be magically binding. She'd read enough books by now to know that the consequences of breaking vows like these were…_harsh_, to say the least. _Not that Grand Pabbie is harsh, or anything_, Anna thought as she raised her chin, posture straightening even with her kneeling position.

"I, Princess Anna, do hereby swear that I will not go searching for the legendary mistletoe alone, and I swear that I will find someone to accompany me on my journey."

A shiver went up the princess' spine as the troll's magic went into effect. It settled over her being, whispering consequences into her ears in an ancient tongue. Grand Pabbie's eyes resumed their normal dark color, his hand no longer glowing.

"It is done," he whispered solemnly. The elder troll then offered a tight smile, now ready to divulge the mistletoe's location.

* * *

><p>She couldn't bring Kristoff along.<p>

Sure, the gruff ice harvester was her second best friend—the position of first _obviously_ claimed by Elsa—but it was precisely the fact that he was her best friend that she couldn't tell him about the mistletoe, let alone drag him off to go with her. And besides, if he knew it would be dangerous, he'd do everything he could to stop her—probably even tell Elsa. Anna didn't know what Elsa would do if she caught even a whiff of her plan, and she found herself thanking the council for the umpteenth time for keeping the queen busy with holiday preparations.

And good thing Anna was known for being the outdoors type and mingling with the townsfolk, or else the servants would have noticed something. If she was gone for too long, though…

She also couldn't bring Olaf.

The poor guy was just a snowman! What if she lost him on the way? What if they somehow came across a place with too much heat for his personal flurry to keep up with? What if he scared off any villagers they might come across, and the next thing they know, they'd be chased away with pitchforks and torches?

Besides, she was pretty sure Elsa had _some_ degree of awareness over where her creations were, and the last thing she needed was for the queen to wonder what the loveable snowman was doing so far from the castle and the town.

"Are you _sure_ we'll be back before nightfall?" Anna asked her new traveling companion, teal eyes narrowing as she shifted the pack on her shoulders to a more comfortable angle. The air had started to chill, and they had _just_ started the trek up the mountain, the winter's snow impeding their progress a little. Although, she could probably take comfort in the fact that they didn't need to go all the way to its peak. Only…about halfway.

…Which might as well have equated to where Elsa's ice palace would be on the North Mountain.

_At least you have experience…And just be glad it's within Arendelle's borders. Like, _wow_, lucky doesn't even begin to describe it,_ the princess reminded herself as the man in front of her glanced back from the map held in his hands.

"I'm starting to think the villagers of Frigga's Grove meant we'll make it back _to the village_ before nightfall if all goes well. Not…the castle," Milo answered with a frown, brown eyes worried from behind his pair of ridiculously large glasses.

His full name was Milo Thatch; a linguist and archaeologist of sorts searching for clues to the location of the fabled city of Atlantis. He had chased a lead all the way to Arendelle, but had discovered that it was yet another dead end, and had chosen to at least stay for the festivities. Thanks to Anna's fortunate collision with him on her way back to the castle—she should _really_ learn to watch where she's going whenever she's excited—the princess had accidentally spilled the maps he had been carrying, and soon learned that he was an expert navigator.

It had been just past dinnertime, and with her conscious effort not to arouse any suspicion from the queen _or_ the servants, Anna had decided right then and there that the lanky man would have to do. She had all but demanded he meet her at one of the inns in the morning to talk at greater length, promising a sizeable amount of money to fund his search in return, and Milo had quickly complied.

His background as an archaeologist under his grandfather, and experience in handling artifacts was the icing on the cake.

Anna didn't want to accidentally break the thing when they found it, so…

"_The village?!_" she exclaimed, aghast. "But it took us _hours_ to get from the main town to there! I mean, horses would've made it easier, but then I'd have to get one for you, which would be suspicious, but…never mind! That means we'd have to spend the night and set out in the morning! We can't do that!"

"Well…maybe Queen Elsa won't send out a search party right away?" Milo offered sheepishly as they paused in their walking, pushing his hat down to cover his ears better. "It's just _one_ night. It can't be that bad."

Anna rolled her eyes at his response, crossing her arms. "You don't get it—Elsa loves me. Like, _loves_ me enough to probably propose soon…Ooh, but she's going to get upset when I won't show up for dinner with her, then she'll try to find me in my room, and when I'm not there, she's going to freak out!" At this point, she had uncrossed her arms to gesture wildly, eyes growing wide. "She's going to ask around, and since I didn't tell anyone, she'll panic even more, and since it would be nighttime too, I wouldn't be surprised if she sent out search parties anyway! And they're not going to find anything for _hours_ because hey, we're pretty far, and then she'll get even more upset, and—"

"Okay, okay…I think I get it!" Milo interrupted, frantically waving his gloved hand at her to stop. "The longer you're missing, the more the queen will panic. So just…here's what we're going to do: we're going to double our pace, hope we don't run into any trouble on our way to the cave, grab Baldr's mistletoe, and run for it. We won't stop by the village for the night; just…travel by moonlight and hope bandits or wild animals don't find us."

Anna blinked.

"Does that sound good?"

"Y-Yeah, it…it does. We should…We should get going now, yeah. Good plan."

They resumed their trek up the mountain after that with double the speed, and thankfully, the only form of trouble they encountered was a gap they had to take a running start to get over.

And maybe a rope bridge with more than a few planks missing, and several that looked on the verge of rotting.

And maybe an eagle or two that thought they were a threat to its eggs.

And maybe a few large icicles that almost impaled them. Several times.

And maybe another bridge that looked even worse than the first one.

And maybe an almost 90 degree climb to the cave because the stone steps that served as the main path were covered in ice _so_ slippery, it would be impossible to walk on unless you were Elsa, or an ice harvester trained from birth.

And maybe it was freezing cold too, but so what?

"Just…gotta…catch my…breath…" Anna wheezed from her spot, where she had all but flopped down just inside the cave's entrance. The lack of snow within was but a small comfort to the cold invading through her layers, and a distant part of her noted that she should still keep moving somehow so as not to fall asleep.

_But good _God, _I'm so exhausted right now…_

The princess glanced to her side, and saw Milo in the same position as her on the stone floor, his chest heaving rapidly as he tried to catch his breath, too. The linguist seemed to be faring worse than her, in fact—this must have been the most strenuous activity he's ever been through, probably.

"Hey…are you…alright?"

Milo answered her with a particularly loud wheeze, managing to raise an arm and wave her concern away before immediately flopping it down with a wince-inducing 'thud'.

"That last eagle…was relentless…" he finally choked out after a few minutes of silence had passed between them, broken only by their heavy breathing and the faint howl of the wind outside.

"And we need…to talk to…those bridge builders…about their shitty work," Anna offered, managing a weak laugh. "We almost died."

"Several times!"

It took probably five more minutes for them to gather the strength to stand up again, legs shaking from the burning in their calves. It took another five minutes to find the torches they had packed and the box of matches to light them. Suitably prepared, they made their way to the back of the cave, footsteps echoing on the stone and their fires casting shadows on the walls. A simple wooden wall with a door greeted them at the end; close to rotting and serving as nothing more than a flimsy barrier to keep the odd animal out.

"It's definitely not part of the original design, which seems to have dated back several centuries, if the steps and the hints of the façade beneath the snow were anything to go by," Milo explained after they passed through. "Whoever added it must have worked on the bridges too, but the harsh conditions make them seem older than they actually are. If I wasn't so busy with my Atlantis work, I'd probably come back in the spring when the snow's gone to check it out some more. It's definitely some fascinating stuff, if you look past the horrible things we had to go through to get up here."

"Do you…Do you think that person might still be here?" Anna asked, glancing around anxiously at the stone corridor they were passing through. "Or anyone else, for that matter?"

"The door guy? Oh, probably not since the wood is pretty aged. But other people?"

They rounded a bend, and came across a large room with braziers and torches lit with golden flames, illuminating the various objects within—some neatly placed on shelves and stands, others haphazardly strewn about. There were swords, musty tomes, spears, urns, armor, shields…They all looked like ancient artifacts, definitely. Another wooden door waited at the far end.

"—Maybe. _Someone_ had to have lit these, unless…_magic_, or something," Milo whispered as they stopped beside a statue of some warrior or god. Perhaps both. "Be careful, Your Highness. We don't know who else might be lurking around."

"I told you not to call me that," Anna hissed, throwing him a look and receiving a barely-concealed smile in return. She stepped further into the room, moving as silently as she could while the linguist observed the statue with sudden interest.

_Okay…Grand Pabbie said that I'll know it when I see it, and that it's shaped like a weapon,_ the princess thought as she passed by a large hammer resting on a pedestal that reached just a little over her knees. _Then again, I doubt he imagined his guess was correct, let alone actually _finding _Baldr's mistletoe…_

Anna passed by a bow that looked like it could be made out of ice, and some kind of horned, rusty helmet, nearly reaching the last third of the room before she spotted the most peculiar weapon propped up against the wall, right next to a few ordinary-looking spears. She couldn't tell if it was a spear, or an arrow, or some sort of glorified dart, or even a sword, but she knew that it was a weapon.

And it was _completely_ crafted out of mistletoes.

Scores of the parasitic plant were bundled and tightly wrapped together to form the legendary weapon that supposedly killed the light god Baldr; its white berries standing out like stars in a green night sky. Surprisingly, the plants hadn't decomposed yet—perfectly preserved as if Loki had handed it to the blind god Hoder just the other day.

Anna immediately grabbed it, unsurprised to find that it wasn't all that heavy. In fact, she was more surprised at how casually it had been treated, considering it was a god-killer and the same plant that resurrected that very god in a different version.

She wasn't sure which story was correct, but she secretly hoped it was the latter.

"Psst! Milo!" the princess hissed as she carefully made her way back to where the linguist was excitedly hopping up and down in front of the statue, a broad grin stretching across his face as he flailed his arms around. "I have it, so let's—What? What's so interesting about this old thing? We're kind of in a hurry, remember? Elsa freaking out? Some guy that might be living here? Ring any bells?"

Milo suddenly grabbed her shoulder with the hand not holding his torch, directing her to stand right in front of it. "Look at the shield! Do you see it? Those runes circling the perimeter?" he whispered in her ear, barely restraining himself from shouting his discovery to the world.

"Yeah, why?"

"It's the key to finding the key to finding Atlantis! The Arendelle lead _wasn't_ a dead end after all!" the linguist breathed, letting go of her to place his torch on the floor, and grab the shield off of the statue. "Oh, when my colleagues back home hear about this—"

"Wait…what? The key to finding…the key?"

There was brief, terrifying moment where the shield was apparently heavier than he had expected, and Milo nearly dropped it on the stone floor. Anna's heart leapt to her throat when she saw him manage to stop it a mere centimeter away, arms trembling. In unison, they both looked toward the door at the opposite end of the room, frozen in place and holding their breaths.

No sound at all, save for the crackling of the torches.

_There's probably no one else here but us, anyway,_ Anna hoped as she slowly moved to place her torch next to Milo's, haphazardly sticking Baldr's mistletoe in her pack. Hands now free, she helped the linguist lift the shield, and with some careful maneuvering and hissed instructions, managed to help him buckle the shield to his own pack. No longer caught off guard by its true weight, Milo was able to handle it a lot better than before, and even gestured for Anna to turn around so he could better secure Baldr's mistletoe to hers, wrapping it in some cloth he had brought along.

Stooping to grab their torches, they finally hurried on their way.

* * *

><p>"So this…Shepard's Journal is actually in <em>Iceland?<em> Not Ireland?"

"That's right! Multiple failed expeditions to Ireland, and it turns out that we were all off by _one_ letter! And the particular runes on this shield is my proof that the location was indeed lost in translation! Isn't that crazy?"

"What's crazy is how we somehow got down the mountain in one piece," Anna said as she fiddled absently with the copper strands of her twin braids. She had lost her hat somewhere between crossing one of the bridges and dealing with round two of the eagles' wrath. Thankfully, it wasn't as cold compared to being on that mountain.

"Those glorified birds are _evil._"

Unfortunately, night had long since fallen, and even with the break they had for dinner, her body was beginning to protest the abuse it suffered today. She wanted nothing more than to rest and to stop walking, but…Elsa was waiting for her.

Probably a very worried, very _angry_ Elsa.

Her steps slowed for a moment as she briefly entertained the idea of putting off the queen's wrath for as long as possible…before picking up again as concern for said queen's panicked state overrode her fear.

"So…tell me again why you'd go through all this trouble to get Baldr's mistletoe? I mean…no offense, but you don't look like someone who'd be interested in ancient artifacts, and if you wanted a normal mistletoe, well…"

"It's a…secret," Anna answered as she came up to walk beside the linguist, who had his compass out. The moon was out tonight, and although they had enough light to see their way, she still wished they could have used the torches. Unfortunately, that would give them away to any bandits lurking in the distance. Also staying clear of the main road was a hard enough decision already.

"That's what you said this morning…Or could it be that it's for the queen?" Milo asked, his tone teasing, and she didn't need to look to see the grin on his face.

"I-It's not!"

"Hey! If it is, then good job! A bit unconventional, but suitors would have a hard time topping _this_—"

"Oh, please," Anna interrupted, crossing her arms with a huff. "The whole town knows that Elsa's in love with me—they'd probably scare off any suitors before they even have a _chance_ to reach the castle's gates."

She saw Milo glance at her from the corner of her eye. "So it's true, then? What happened last year?"

Whereas Elsa would probably have gone quiet and anxiously wrung her hands, Anna merely beamed at him, her heart swelling at the memory. "True Love on the frozen fjord? Yes!"

"I meant the Christmas in July fiasco, not…never mind," the linguist laughed, adjusting his ridiculous glasses as his brown eyes softened. "You really love her…don't you?"

The words sent heat rushing to the princess' face, and she fiddled sheepishly with her braids. "O-Of course I do," Anna softly replied. "I've…loved her for _years_, actually. Our parents were close friends, so we kind of grew up together. And even after all that happened, all the years refusing to write back and keeping the gates closed, I still couldn't stop loving her."

She didn't stop talking even as Milo reached out to lightly grab her arm, guiding her as they moved further and further west back towards the main town.

"I mean…it's crazy, right? And all my life, I never thought she'd actually…_love me back_, you know? It's a dream come true! She kissed me after I thawed on the fjord—did I tell you my heart froze over and I sort of died? Because…yeah, _that_ happened, and the priests wouldn't stop bothering me for _a week_ trying to get answers, but I honestly can't remember too much anyway—and then Elsa just wouldn't let me out of her sight for the rest of that day! And Milo, it was just…_amazing_, having her back."

A dreamy smile danced on her lips.

"And we reconnected after that, getting to know each other all over again, and…kissing a lot. I thought it was impossible, but somehow I found myself falling deeper and deeper in love with her. Did you know she hides her laugh behind her hand because when she was younger, her teeth were crooked and she was self-conscious of them? I mean, Elsa obviously got them corrected, but the habit just stuck over the years, and…it's really nice being reminded that she's flawed, just like the rest of us. She's still perfect, though—probably the most gorgeous woman in all of Scandinavia, and she has this adorable fear of dirt and worms."

"So naturally, you had to tease her." Milo remarked, amused.

"Of course! And oh my God, you should've seen the _look_ on her face the first time I did it after the Great Thaw! I was banned from the castle for _two_ days! Two!"

He arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay…Elsa _said_ two, but it was more like one, really. Maybe even half a day, but that's as low as I'm going! She cracked pretty easily, even if it was supposed to be _me_ being punished. Because she's just…she's just so…_caring_. And she hides it a lot because she's just worried about hurting people with her powers. I mean, sure, she learned that love thaws the ice and snow, but…old habits die hard, and she has relapses sometimes."

Anna bit her lip, trying to contain the ridiculously happy smile on her face.

"But honestly? She's the warmest, kindest, gentlest person I know. And I love her for it; flaws and all."

Milo didn't bother holding back his smile. "I can see why the townspeople would be protective of you, if you love their queen that much, and vice versa. I'm happy for you, Anna! I can only hope to find someone to love just as much as you love Queen Elsa."

"Maybe you'll find love when you find Atlantis, hmm?" Anna offered with a teasing wink as his face reddened.

They walked in companionable silence after that, with Milo processing all that she had divulged to him before asking her to tell the story of the Great Freeze, all the way from the very beginning when Elsa's parents died. They covered more distance as she talked animatedly, the hours passing as the moon traveled across the night sky. With the story exhausted, and having already known about Milo's side from their journey earlier that morning, the two moved on to talking about…just about anything, really.

At this point, it was more to keep themselves awake as they trudged on, fighting the call of sleep.

…And while they had been lucky enough not to cross paths with bandits, it seemed their luck had run out with the wild animals. Not counting the eagles back on the mountain, of course.

"Did you hear that?" Anna whispered as Milo tore his gaze away from the compass to glance around at their surroundings again. Their steps slowed, ears pricked for anything out of the ordinary.

An owl in the distance.

The faint howl of the wind through the ice/snow-covered trees.

Growling.

_Wait…growling?_

"Wolves!" Anna shouted as she spotted a few pairs of gleaming eyes behind them, followed by bared fangs. They wasted no time in running through the snow, fighting sore limbs and lack of sleep the whole way, carried purely by the adrenaline pumping through their veins. Anna grabbed Milo's arm as she overtook him, practically dragging him after her as the shield's weight began to take its toll on his speed. She knew enough about him by now to know that he'd rather die than lose his evidence. They managed to dodge the trees in their way, the wolves' snarling ever-present behind them.

"Are we almost there yet?" Anna asked as they narrowly avoided running into a boulder. A howl rose up behind them.

"I-I don't know!" Milo shouted, sparing a glance at the compass as they ran. "We're m-more southwest than west right now, so—"

A snap of teeth _far_ too close to his pack abruptly cut him off, and Anna screamed in terror, Milo joining her as they pushed for more speed.

"I…I think I see the fjord!" the princess cried as she caught sight of something shimmering beneath the moonlight not too far away. "Milo, we're almost there!"

"Anna, we're on the wrong side! We still have a ways to go before we reach the tow—AH!"

"_Milo!"_ Anna shrieked as the wolf snarled into the leather of the linguist's pack, digging its paws into the snow. She reached behind her to grab the torch hanging off the side of her pack, tugging it out and taking a swing at the beast. It flinched as it grazed close to its muzzle, and her next strike landed true. There was a pained yelp as the wolf let go, and Anna yanked Milo after her, urging him to go faster. Through the trees ahead of them, her eyes landed on what seemed to be flickering torches in the distance—the search parties, perhaps.

"Help! Wolves!" she shouted, hoping they could hear her. The snarling persisted behind them as they continued to run, the trees thinning to their left until they beheld the fjord in its full glory. They were running along the side of a hill, following the slope down and allowing gravity to help increase their speed as the torches in the distance grew closer.

Anna tripped, taking Milo with her.

Screaming, they both tumbled down the hill, the world spinning as they rushed closer and closer towards the dark waters of the fjord…

* * *

><p>The first thing she noticed was the cold.<p>

"—na…nna…"

The second thing she noticed was the weight of Baldr's mistletoe resting near her right leg.

"Anna…Anna!"

It must have been dislodged when they fell in…

"_Anna!"_

The last thing she noticed was the familiar face looming over her, ice-blue eyes shining with tears under the light of the guards' torches.

_Elsa…?_

The Queen of Arendelle looked haggard; her platinum blonde hair lacking its usual luster, and both her braid and frosted-back bangs looking as though they had been repeatedly ran through with anxious hands. Dark circles had begun to form underneath her eyes—eyes that darted all over her face in terror before filling with relief at seeing her own open.

"Anna! Oh, thank heavens!" Elsa breathed, a shaky smile forming on her lips as a couple of tears escaped down her pale cheeks. "Anna, you're—"

"—the best person ever?" the princess rasped as her hand closed around Baldr's mistletoe, unseen by the queen.

Elsa blinked in surprise, her smile faltering as her brow furrowed in confusion. Her grip on Anna tightened. "Wha…What?"

She brought the mistletoe weapon up, holding it over the both of them.

"Mistletoe. Same one used in Baldr's legend," Anna giggled weakly, smiling brightly at the woman she loved above all. "Now you gotta kiss me."

She heard a few of the guards chuckle—along with a weak one that sounded like Milo's—as Elsa's widened eyes darted back and forth between Anna's smug face, and the soaked mistletoe between them.

"Is that…a sword?" the queen finally squeaked out, probably still in shock.

"Actually, it looks more like a spear to me."

Blue eyes softened as they finally settled on her own, fathomless love shining within as the ridiculous scale of the princess' gesture finally hit home. The smile had returned, shy and happy as pale cheeks heated red.

Anna knew not to be deceived by the moment, though—she'd receive her scolding soon enough when she was warmer and sitting by _a bonfire_, probably. But until then…

"Only you."

The sheer amount of love and affection in those two words warmed her shivering frame more effectively than any bonfire.

"Only you," Anna repeated.

It was a promise.

And as Elsa's breath ghosted over her heating skin, as her lips finally met the queen's for the first time in three days…Anna knew that it was one they would keep for the rest of their lives.

* * *

><p><em>I just wanna see my baby…<em>

**NEXT: Day 2 – Deck the Halls**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Well, there you go. This is my first time contributing to an Elsanna week thing, so hopefully it's okay. Other days are gonna be fluffier and shorter, I promise. I also forgot Elsa's birthday is December 21, so I couldn't tie that in…But you got a very brief reference to Skadi…? And a reference to the iconic Iron Helmet in _Skyrim…_? And a kiss at the end…? Milo's okay too, by the way. If anyone's wondering.

But moving on…Explanation time.

According to my research, apparently in Norse mythology, Loki used a spear (arrow/dart in later versions, and a sword in the _Gesta Danorum_) made of mistletoe to kill Baldr, a god of light and purity, by manipulating the blind god Hod/Hoder/Hodur into accidentally throwing it. Normally Baldr couldn't be harmed since all beings/objects (which somehow included plants?) swore never to hurt him, but for some reason, mistletoe was skipped over. One answer I found was that since it was parasitic, it didn't have to, but others have said it was because Frigga thought it was too young to make the vow.

As for the kissing under the mistletoe tradition, one answer I found was that after three days of failing to resurrect him, Frigga's tears landed on its then-red berries, turning them white and bringing Baldr back from the dead. In doing so, she reversed the mistletoe's bad reputation and kissed everyone who walked underneath it out of gratitude for getting her son back. Because of this, Vikings in the 8th century believed that mistletoe had the power to raise people from the dead. And on a somewhat related note, 1st century Druids in Britain also believed that mistletoe could perform miracles.

So…despite the fact that it killed a god (and brought him back in one version!)…you'd still have a pretty badass mistletoe to use, if you know what I mean. B)

Also, since this is already late and I had to crunch for time, I was originally going to have some crazy dude living in the cave and chase after them to get his stuff back…but I didn't have time to show that. So the explanation for the artifacts is that there _is_ an obsessed guy living up there (past the door at the end and probably sleeping), collecting/making stuff from the Norse legends and preserving them with magic. As for how Grand Pabbie guessed where it was…the cave was once part of a grand temple to the old gods and it was a likely starting place? I'm really sorry for these plotholes—I guess I didn't really think it through.

Anyway, I'm really excited for Day 7 of Elsanna Week. :D It's probably not gonna be what most of you are thinking, but I couldn't resist. Also, I'm really behind because of the Korra finale and running errands for the holiday rush in addition to gift wrapping and stuff. Hopefully I'll get caught up.


	2. Deck the Halls

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Frozen,_ _The Incredibles,_ or Jason Funderberker from _Over the Garden Wall_.

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the lateness of the previous chapter, and this one. For Day 2…Not really deck the halls, but…it's decorating, at least? I was just driving through the neighborhood on another errand when I saw that my block had more lights up than last year.

And I couldn't resist using Jason Funderberker.

…Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>To this Day<strong>

**Day 2 – Deck the Halls**

* * *

><p>They usually didn't decorate their house with lights on the outside. Elsa had a habit of being self-conscious when she really didn't need to be—with Anna there to remind her every time of how wrong she was—and that habit extended to the house…For some reason. But after several years of Anna coaxing her wife and trying to convince her of how fun it would be, Elsa finally gave the redhead permission to string lights outside this year.<p>

And Anna intended to take _full_ advantage of it.

"Elsa's totally gonna love this when she gets home!" she cheered to herself as she gleefully fixed the last set of lights on the final hook, sitting on the very top of the metal ladder she had specifically bought for this moment. It wobbled slightly as she leaned over to give the lights a tentative tug to test how secure they were, but knew she had been in worse situations earlier that day near the top of the second story—luckily without resulting in a fall.

The lights held.

A proud grin tugged on her lips, and Anna quickly made her way down the ladder, eager to see the fruits of her labor in full, multicolored glory. Her boots trudged across the snow as she practically skipped over to near the front door, where the main switch was located. After a simple flick, she hurried onto the sidewalk to watch as the lights flickered to life.

White snowflakes shone proudly all over the house's walls, and colorful lights outlined the roof and windows. Out on the front yard, eight light reindeer pulled Santa's sleigh, which actually wasn't made of lights and was something she had bought at the store earlier. Special holly-shaped lights framed the garage door, alternating between red and green patterns, and the bushes had golden lights tastefully wrapped around them, sharing the same treatment as the row of short evergreens along both sides of the house. The lone tree near Santa's sleigh had blue lights strung up around the trunk, and spread to as many branches as Anna had dared to adorn. To finish the look, a row of light-up candy canes were arranged along the driveway and the small path leading to the front door.

Sure, everything cost a lot, but it would definitely be worth it to see Elsa's smile when she realizes that she loves it.

Or at least…that's what Anna was hoping would happen.

"Looks pretty good, Mrs. Andersen," a voice came from beside her, and the redhead looked down to see a familiar head of slicked-back blond hair, and mischievous blue eyes.

"Hey, I don't call you Dashiell now, do I? So none of this 'Mrs. Andersen' stuff—it's just 'Anna,' remember?" she said with a roll of her eyes, the proud grin remaining on her lips.

"If you say so, 'just Anna,'" the boy snarked back with a grin of his own, ignoring her half-hearted glare as he buried himself further into his red winter jacket for warmth. "But seriously, for your first time doing this sorta thing, it's not bad."

"Why, thank you, Da—"

"—Just don't feel too intimidated by Funderberker's, though. Word is, the guy was a pro where he came from."

"Wait...Funderberker?" Anna asked in confusion, the grin slipping from her face.

Dash's, on the other hand, grew. "Yeah. Jason Funderberker. The guy that just moved in across from you a couple months ago." He arched a blond eyebrow, a little bit of his own confusion flickering in his eyes. "Didn't you…look at the other houses? Like the one across the street?"

The truth was, she had been too caught up in her excitement to _finally_ decorate their house with lights to notice the goings-on in their neighborhood.

Jaw clenching as her cheeks heated in mild embarrassment, Anna turned on her heel to take a look at the competition, _and HOLY SHIT how in the world did I never notice this until now like how in the fucking _world _was it possible to work all morning without seeing it and goddamnit MINE IS NOT NEARLY ENOU—_

"…Anna? Are you okay? You seem a little…tense," Dash remarked from beside her, sounding more amused than concerned.

"…You said his name was Jason Funderberker, right?" Her voice came out low and quiet, promising a multitude of things.

"Uh-huh." She didn't need to look to see the mischievous grin stretching from ear to ear on his face.

The little shit. He _knew_ she had a competitive streak.

"I bet Elsa would like his better."

_GODDAMNIT._

"Jason Funderberker!" Anna yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth and not really caring—_yet_—if he heard her or not from the inside. "This means war, you hear me?! _War!_"

Grumbling obscenities under her breath, Anna marched over to her car and got inside, not noticing Dash gleefully hopping into the passenger seat beside her as she fished her keys out of her coat pocket. After turning the key in the ignition, she backed out of her driveway, tearing down the street as she hurried to the store to buy more lights and decorations.

Oh, this guy was going _down._

* * *

><p>"Dash, isn't your mom going to wonder where you are?" Anna asked as she placed more light-up candy canes along their section of the sidewalk. She had nearly panicked when she had <em>just<em> noticed the boy sitting beside her after pulling into a parking spot. However, he made up for the scare he gave her by helping her pick out more things to buy, using the age-old strategy of divide and conquer to cut down their time spent at the store.

"Mom's at Ms. Mode's, Dad's at work, and Violet's spending the day with Tony," Dash answered as he handed her the last one. "So it was either watch TV inside all day, or help you with the lights."

Anna smiled at him as she steadied the final candy cane. "Awwww…that's so sweet, Dash—"

"Plus, it's really fun seeing you get all competitive and worked up over him stealing Elsa awa—AH! Cold, cold, cold!"

Anna stood up, brushing the lingering remains off her gloves as Dash frantically wiped at his face to get the snow off.

She forgave him quickly enough though, and even came to appreciate his help as they set up a bunch of snowflakes on the tree's branches, the evergreens, and the bushes. She had bought some gingerbread men made of lights as well, which they scattered all over the lawn, along with a couple of short, cute light-up Christmas trees to transform the place into a winter wonderland. Evergreen wreathes decorated Santa's sleigh, along with new multicolored lights, which she also used as the reins for the reindeer. The mailbox was decorated too, with red and green lights curling around the pole, and a festive Merry Christmas sign planted beside it.

"Whoa! This is definitely better than before, Anna!" Dash exclaimed as they took in the sight, jumping up to give her a high-five. "Maybe even close to Funderberker's!"

_Yeah? Well, let's see about that…_ Anna smirked as they prepared to turn around, feeling pretty good about her setup.

"…Duuuuude, I didn't even notice him working behind us."

The house looked even better than before, complete with more lights and decorations.

"_Jason Funderberker!"_ Anna shrieked, catching sight of the polished door slam shut, leaving the holiday wreath pinned on it swaying in its wake.

* * *

><p>She could feel her credit card burning a hole in her wallet as Dash helped her take her new purchases out of her car, arranging them all along her snow-free driveway. The boy had suggested a lunch break, and she had opened the garage door to let him in, making a quick stop in the kitchen inside the house to grab some food. Munching on their sandwiches, they sat on some barstools Anna had found amidst the mess of plastic storage bins and tools, watching the house across the street from inside the garage.<p>

"How do you think he did it?" Dash asked through a mouthful of food. Years of doing the same thing had taught Anna how to understand the words being said without it coming across as gibberish.

"I don't know, and I honestly don't care," the redhead growled, taking another angry bite of her sandwich. Teal eyes never left the large window positioned next to the front door. She knew that this _Jason Funderberker_ was safe inside, probably eating his own lunch at the window and laughing at the futility of her struggle.

"I'll show him. Mark my words…_I'm going to win this._"

Anna and Dash were a pair of speed-demons after they finished eating—setting up light-up snowmen, piling fake presents onto Santa's sleigh, connecting the light-up candy canes with holly-shaped lights to form a rudimentary chain, curling fake evergreens around the mailbox with the lights, placing a wreath on the door, and most of all…

"Are you _sure_ you wanna go this far, Anna?" Dash asked as he watched her shimmy up the metal ladder for the umpteenth time onto the roof, carrying yet another light-up, wire-framed reindeer over her shoulder, and the cords wrapped loosely around her arm. "You could die if you slip and fall."

"No one's dying today, Dash!" the redhead called as she scurried across the snow-covered roof, maneuvering past the various snowflakes positioned everywhere to reach the apex of the house, where seven other reindeer and another Santa's sleigh were waiting.

"No one except that _Jason Funderberker_ if he steals _my_ _wife_ away with his fancy-schmancy setup…" she grumbled as she steadied the final reindeer, connecting the plugs and making sure all of the clamps were secure so the whole thing wouldn't fall off the roof if it got too windy.

"Oh, and don't do this at home, Dash!"

"Too late, Anna! I'm already under your bad influence!" she heard the boy call back.

Anna rolled her eyes, allowing a little smile to curl on her lips as she made her way across the roof to where the ladder was positioned. Moving down a few steps, curiosity got the better of her, and she turned around to look across the street. "Now let's see—"

_No._

"_Wow._ Jason Funderberker's like, the Christmas ninja! He really _is_ a pro!"

**NO.**

"I hate to say it, but…I think he's won the war, Anna."

There were no words to properly describe the magnificence of the decorated house across the street.

"…Dash, cover your ears," Anna suddenly growled after a long moment of stunned silence.

The boy glanced up at her with a smirk. "But why? It's nothing I haven't heard already from the car ride."

"_Just do it!"_

"Alright, alright! Geez…"

Seeing his ears properly covered—more to protect his ear drums from the shrill cry soon to follow rather than any bad words—Anna _finally_ let loose the inhuman scream that had been steadily building up since that morning, when she had first learned the name of her Nemesis. Her rival, that dastardly—

"_**GODDAMNIT, JASON FUNDERBERKER!"**_

Through a gap in the curtains, there was a flash of brown hair, and a green sleeve in the window as her furious cry echoed all over their neighborhood.

* * *

><p>"I guess as far as things go, Dash could've made a mess of the house today instead," Helen Parr said with a shrug, smiling sheepishly. "But thanks for looking after him, Anna. I hope he didn't cause too much trouble for you."<p>

"Unless you count getting into a decorating competition with Jason Funderberker as 'trouble'!" the boy in question called from the car.

Anna's eye twitched at the name.

"Dash!"

"What?"

Anna shook her head, managing a small smile as the brunette woman turned back to look up at her. "He didn't cause any trouble. I actually enjoyed his company while Elsa's at work."

Helen furrowed her brow a little, hazel eyes searching hers before she called for Dash to roll up the window so they could talk in private. Anna sighed, slumping even further on her spot sitting at the very top of the ladder with her knees tucked under her chin. She knew what was coming next.

"Anna…is everything alright? You're not as bubbly as you usually are."

"I'm probably just pooped out from all of the decorating today—it's really no big deal, Helen," Anna reassured her with another smile.

"Oh, yes…Your house certainly looks…_interesting_ this year," the brunette conceded with a brief once-over of all of the lights and decorations. "It's a good interesting, though! I just pegged you as someone who wouldn't do _this_ much for their first time, you know?"

"You and me both," Anna mumbled, too quietly for the other woman to hear.

"So…how do you think Elsa is going to feel about it?" Helen asked as she returned her attention back to the redhead. "Considering how your wife feels about decorating outside, don't you think this could be a bit much for her?"

It _was_ a bit much. Anna had known that ever since her second trip to the store. And if she were being completely honest with herself, what she originally had in the beginning was _perfect_ for Elsa. But because of that fucking _Jason Funderberker_, and—

"Oh…I see now," Helen's voice interrupted her thoughts, sounding faintly amused in addition to the suddenly maternal tone. "You felt intimidated by the house across the street. That Elsa would leave you for some reason because it's a lot better than yours."

…_I was thinking out loud again, wasn't I? Damn it. And geez, you don't have to rub it in…_

"I know, I know! It sounds ridiculous—"

"That's because it is."

Anna shot her a look before continuing, "—but…have you _seen_ how awesome everything looks?! The guy must be a total package! How in the world am I supposed to compete with that?!"

"Have you even _seen_ Jason? Trust me, honey, you couldn't be any further from the truth," Helen said as she reached out to place a hand on Anna's knee, lips quirked into a motherly smile. "Elsa didn't marry you because of how well you could decorate the house for Christmas. She married you for _you._"

"But I'm just…me." Anna winced. Her argument sounded weak even to her own ears.

"And that's all she wants, dear," the brunette said as she gave her knee a reassuring squeeze, stepping away from the ladder to head back to her car. "Now…I have to go home so I can get started on dinner, but I'll see you around? Happy holidays, Anna."

"Happy holidays, Helen," the redhead managed, a genuine smile curling to her lips as the woman entered her car and drove away, with Dash waving wildly from the window. She remained sitting on top of the ladder even when they were out of sight, elbows resting on her knees, and chin cupped in her gloved hands. Anna barely registered the slight burning in her cheeks from the exposure to the cold, too lost in thought, staring at Jason Funderberker's house across the street.

This was how Elsa found her half an hour later.

Anna heard the car pull up, first, and the engine switch off.

She heard the door shut and the delicate footsteps, second.

And the third…

"…_Wow_. When you say 'all-out,' you really mean _all-out,_" her wife's sweet voice drifted up to her ears, coming from directly in front of her.

For her part, Anna merely exhaled loudly, blowing at her bangs in the process. Her lip quivered a little, teal eyes forcing themselves away from that damn house to rest upon the beautiful blonde standing in the snow, blue eyes gleaming beneath the lights.

"Now can you stop sulking up there, and come down so I can hug you?" Elsa asked gently, rosy lips curling into a loving smile as she held her arms out expectantly.

Anna was down the ladder in a heartbeat, burying her face into the crook of her wife's neck as they held each other tightly. Mint and pine filled her nose, and she felt Elsa press a kiss in her hair. Or several. She liked Elsa's kisses.

"I missed you," the redhead mumbled, not wanting the closeness to end. She _really_ needed something like this after the stress from today.

"I missed you too," Elsa's voice sounded in her ear before she felt a gentle nip on the lobe. "What's bothering you, Anna? You looked like you were trying to burn holes through Jason Funderberker's house."

Anna immediately hissed, pulling away just enough to narrow her eyes at Elsa's. _"How do you know that name? We don't speak of that name."_

Her wife giggled, blue eyes filled with amusement as she leaned in to kiss her nose. "Is it the lights and the decorations? They look really good."

"Hmph. If he's so great, then why don't you—"

"I was talking about _our_ house, Snowflake," Elsa murmured, resting her forehead against hers as her lips quirked into a gentle smile, blue eyes bright and warm. "I could tell you put a lot of effort into it."

Anna bit her lip, cheeks flushing a little. It was the moment of truth now. All of her efforts; judged. "D-Do you like it?"

The blonde captured her mouth in a chaste kiss, cupping the redhead's face with her hands. "I love it," she said with a little giggle when she pulled away, but not before pressing a couple feather light kisses to the freckles on Anna's skin.

"More than Jason Funderberker's?" Her voice sounded painfully small even to her own ears.

Elsa smiled, hands drifting down to clasp her own. Even with the gloves on, Anna could feel her wife's thumb rubbing idly at the ring on her finger, hidden beneath the woolen layer. The blonde's forehead bumped against hers once more, and Anna couldn't help the grin that stretched across her face.

"Of course."

She may have lost the war, but she won the only battle that mattered.

* * *

><p>…<em>standing right outside my door.<em>

**NEXT: Day 3 – Secret Santa**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> No, you didn't need to know who Jason Funderberker is to enjoy the story. But if you do know him, it would've made this oneshot a lot funnier. xD But seriously, check out _Over the Garden Wall_ if you can—it's a pretty great mini-series from Cartoon Network, with Elijah Wood voicing Wirt, obvious Brothers Grimm influences, and it's directed by Pat MacHale from _Adventure Time._

Anyway, I'm also late with this one, but I'm trying to catch up.


	3. Secret Santa

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Frozen_—it belongs to Disney.

**Author's Note:** Late again, sorry. Had more presents to wrap, family commitments, dragged off to see _The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies _(which cut into time that could've been spent writing, but I actually surprisingly enjoyed it), and a friend of mine was going through some emotionally heavy stuff. Still trying to catch up, though. This chapter is far shorter than what I envisioned it to be because of that.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>To This Day<strong>

**Day 3 – Secret Santa**

* * *

><p>The moment Anna found out who she had as her Secret Santa, she knew that the whole thing had been nothing more than an elaborate setup.<p>

"M-Merry Christmas, Anna."

…Nope, that couldn't be right. Elsa Mertens _never_ stuttered over her words. _Never._ For as long as Anna had worked at the studio, Elsa always spoke clearly and precisely, like a beloved queen addressing her faithful subjects…which was somewhat accurate, considering she was both the lead programmer _and_ lead designer for the team. An impressive achievement, considering she was a female in the industry, too. Probably the only people who outranked her in the studio's unofficial hierarchy was the Producer, Pabros Stendahl—"Grand Pabbie," on account of his grandfatherly treatment of everyone under his wing—and his associate, Kristoff Bjorgman.

Long story short, Elsa was amazing—top of the food chain, and _staying_ there—and Anna was just a simple 3D modeler working under the tutelage of the veteran artists. In all honesty, her position was one step away from being the official 'coffee guy' who made the daily run to Starbucks for the team…which was what she did _anyway_, and _really_ just made the whole situation that much more surreal.

While all of this went on in her head, the beautiful blonde in front of her held out the carefully wrapped present, face as impassive as ever, save for the faintest hint of pink on her pale cheeks, and the polite smile on her lips.

_Her _kissable _lips,_ Anna's mind treacherously reminded her.

She regretted confessing her massive crush on the blonde to Olaf, her best friend. The little shit must have rigged the allegedly 'random' draw somehow, knowing that what Anna wanted above all for Christmas was to take Elsa out on a date somehow. Preferably in the near future. Preferably without rejection. Preferably with her feelings returned.

"Oh, wow! S-So _you're_ my Secret Santa, huh?" Anna exclaimed as she finally took the present, hoping to all the gods out there that she didn't sound too nervous, and throwing a discrete glare at the black-haired programmer snickering in the background. She'd get her revenge on Olaf later….somehow.

Oddly enough, her best friend wasn't the only one in the room with a smug smile on their face.

The redhead felt the heat blossom across her cheeks as Elsa's smile turned uncharacteristically shy, biting her bottom lip ever so slightly with her perfect teeth. Anna mentally slapped herself. _Of _course_ she's your Secret Santa, you idiot! Why else would she be giving you a gift? And now you're making her all self-conscious, and—_

"Aren't you going to open it?" Elsa's soft voice abruptly halted all other thoughts, sounding a little confused, and…uncertain?

"O-Oh, yeah! I was just, uh…you know, admiring the wrapping paper and all. Since I love snowmen," Anna blurted out, tearing her gaze away from the crystalline blue of the programmer's eyes to the present held in her hands. She drummed her fingers experimentally against the box, noting the hollow sound it made. "A-And it's really nicely done! I'd hate to ruin it, b-but then I wouldn't get to see the present, and hey, speaking of presents, w-wouldn't you like yours too? And then we could open ours together and holy shit, I didn't mean to imply that you'd—"

"Mine?" Elsa asked, tilting her head a little in further confusion, and nearly causing Anna's heart to rocket out of her chest with the adorable action.

"Y-Yeah, considering _I'm_ your Secret Santa and so of course I'd—Crap, I shouldn't have said that," the animator babbled on, cheeks practically a tomato as she hastily leaned over to grab her present to Elsa off the nearby counter, "But, well, here it is! Your present! To you. From me. Uh…ha-ha, just…just me. Little ol' me. This present. To you."

Elsa's eyes were wide in surprise. Or…Anna hoped it was because of that, and not because of the gift practically shoved in her face.

_Well, time to hand in my resignation, because there's no way I can face her again after today…_

"It's not coffee, I swear!"

_OHMYGOD. Just kill me now…Olaf, just come over here and finish the job you started!_

Teal eyes flicked over to the programmer in question. His cheeks were a slight red from the effort of holding in his laughter, and there was the biggest shit-eating grin on his face…A look shared by the rest of her coworkers, apparently. The blood abruptly rushed away from her face in horror as realization set in.

_Everyone_ had been in on it.

A small giggle immediately captured her attention once more, teal locking with an amused blue. Elsa carefully plucked the present out of Anna's hand, her smile brighter than any other smile Anna had ever seen on her, and the stiff shoulders she had been too nervous to notice before visibly relaxing.

"I should hope not," the blonde said as she cradled her gift closer to her, "I prefer hot chocolate to coffee, anyway."

_I know._

"So…together, then?" Elsa suggested with a sultry arch of her eyebrow, smile turning into an equally-sultry smirk.

…Or at least that's how it looked to Anna's clearly perverted and increasingly shocked mind. Because really, there's no way that could happen. Not to her. And so the redheaded animator swallowed hard, managing a nervous smile as she nodded, not trusting herself to speak without completely messing things up for real this time.

She could almost feel the tension in the air as the others watched on expectantly, witnessing Anna give in to habit and tear away the snowman-patterned wrapping without further thought. Across from her, Elsa unwrapped hers with far less ferocity, but Anna barely noticed, too absorbed as she was in the gift she had reverently taken out of the box.

Elsa had gotten her the special collector's edition—all four seasons of _The Legend of Korra_ on Blu-Ray, with never-before-seen artwork on the covers.

"H-How did—"

"—you know?" Elsa finished for her in an uncharacteristic squeak, looking equally awe-struck as she held the anniversary edition of the _complete_—yes, even the dialogue!—soundtrack for _Wicked_, along with two tickets to said musical.

The sheer amount of affection in those blue eyes certainly took her aback.

"Well, I asked Kristoff!"

"I asked Olaf!"

"B-Because it's not like I could just _ask_ you what kind of stuff you like!" Anna said rapidly as her cheeks burned once more, partially hiding behind her gift. "I mean, to you, I'm probably just the coffee girl—"

"—and it's sort of hard with the schedule right now to just waltz down to your lab and get to know you," she vaguely heard Elsa babble on with equal speed, if not faster. "Considering the workload and the recent bugs we've had—"

"—and I mean, it's really crazy—"

"—so even if we don't talk as much as I'd like—"

"—you're just so _perfect_ in everything you do, and _gorgeous_—"

"—adorable, and enough to brighten _anyone's_ day, no matter—"

"—I'm just _me_, like how in the world could—"

"—didn't want to intimidate you if I—"

"Alright, _enough!_" Kristoff finally shouted, wildly waving his arms as he stomped up to them with Olaf fast on his heels. "Your gifts to each other are perfect! Yes, you wish you could spend more time, we get it! So will you _please_, for the love of God, just—"

"Kristoff, I think we should handle this a _bit_ more delicately than that," Olaf suggested, interrupting the burly blond. The shit-eating grin had never once left his face.

"Olaf, I told you everything in confidence!" Anna took the moment to hiss, although it came across more as a whine. "You didn't have to rig the draw!"

Her best friend crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself. "Well _I_ didn't rig it. _Everyone else_ did…and I just went along. Because really, Anna…you two are _sooooooo_ obvious, we couldn't stand it any longer and decided to intervene."

"It was driving me crazy!" Tadashi cried from somewhere.

"Kind of cute, seeing them skirt around each other—"

"—beginning to think they'd talk about it when I'm 60—"

"—wrote 'Elsanna', and she thought I misspelled 'El sauna'—"

"—both blushing whenever they leave each other—"

"—better still win the bet after this—"

Thoroughly embarrassed at what she was hearing all around the room, Anna gathered the courage to look at Elsa as the murmurs increased in volume. The blonde's face was red enough to probably rival her own, blue eyes pointedly trained on the tickets in her hand as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She ran a thumb over the smooth surface, right over the seat location.

Anna swallowed hard, clutching her own gift closer to her chest, as if she could channel Korra's strength to say what needed to be said. "Elsa, I—"

"Go with me."

The redhead blinked in disbelief. She probably hadn't heard right.

"Wait, what?"

"Go with me," Elsa repeated a little louder, blue eyes meeting teal this time as she smiled shakily, cheeks still burning in embarrassment. "To see _Wicked?_ I-I have an extra ticket, and since I _really_ like you—"

"_YES!"_ Anna nearly screamed, throwing her arms tightly around the blonde and surprising everyone else out of their heated conversations. She snuggled in further, giddy beyond measure when arms came up to pull her closer, and a face buried itself into her hair.

"D-Did one of them propose?!"

"Man, they work fast!"

"You idiot, one of them asked the other on a date!"

"Hah! Cough up the cash!"

"Nope, nope, not until they confirm it!"

"C-Can we just leave right now?" Anna mumbled into the alabaster skin of Elsa's neck, "Because I _really_ like you too, and…these dorks won't leave us alone while we're here."

She felt a rumble as the blonde hummed thoughtfully, lips brushing against her ear and sending shivers down her spine. "What do you have in mind?" came that low, curious whisper.

"Probably curl up in a corner somewhere and hope the ground swallows me up with how embarrassing this all is. Or…we could marathon _The Legend of Korra_ together? Put your gift to use until mine comes around next week?"

Anna felt Elsa pull away, and immediately missed her warmth. She needn't have worried, however, as the blonde's lips pressed against hers for the briefest of moments, so quick she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen Elsa's shy smile afterwards, brimming with affection.

"Sounds perfect."

Anna didn't even notice the cheers and exclamations of "Finally!" erupting around them as she pulled Elsa down for a _proper_ kiss this time.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, I just want you for my own…<em>

**NEXT: Day 4 – No Peeking!**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry if I got depictions of a small video game studio wrong. I'm just going off of experience with class projects. Sort of. It's mostly guesswork, too. The idea behind this prompt was that the whole studio knows that Elsa and Anna have a thing for each other, and they're using the Secret Santa gift exchange to get these two dorks together. Originally a generic office AU before I decided to change it up into something I hadn't seen done yet.

Hopefully these prompts are amusing? I'm posting everything at once, so I don't know if you guys are actually enjoying them. Also, there is a reason why everything so far has been in Anna's POV. Also picked Mertens as Elsa's last name because…reference to my other fic? :3 Same with Grand Pabbie's.


	4. No Peeking

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Frozen_—it belongs to Disney.

**Author's Note:** FINALLY…I finally caught up. Geez…Anyway, in this particular one, they _are_ sisters. If you noticed, I updated the summary and it says that all of these oneshots are related in a way…which will be revealed on Day 7. And I should probably also take the time to say that I don't plan for any M-rated chapters for this week, mostly because I've never actually written any smut before and I'm on a deadline so I can't mull over it, but also because…

Actually, that's the only reason why, ha-ha. I'd rather give you guys smut that I spent several days working on instead of a rushed, half-assed scene.

Either way…enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>To This Day<strong>

**Day 4 – No Peeking!**

* * *

><p>"Damn…another decoy," Anna grumbled to herself as she closed yet another box filled with stones of various sizes, at least having the courtesy to stuff the wrapping inside to dispose of later. It was much like receiving coal on Christmas day…except it wasn't quite as crushing compared to finding coal, and Christmas was <em>tomorrow<em>, not today.

And that was the problem.

"If Elsa were here, she'd tell you to watch your language," Olaf cheerfully piped up from beside her, carrying three other boxes—all decoys, as well, unfortunately. "How many other presents do you think she has lying around the castle?"

"Too many," the princess growled, standing up with the box tucked firmly under one arm. "And she didn't tell you anything about where they are?"

The snowman chuckled as they left the library to go search the other parts of the castle they hadn't checked yet, stopping by to drop off the decoy presents in the large pile they had started amassing in the gallery. "Nope! She was _really_ secretive about it, so I think you're gonna be in for a big surprise tomorrow!"

If only tomorrow was _today_, instead…

But it _wasn't_ today, and Anna found herself flopped on her bed hours later—ready for bed, and exhausted from her fruitless search. At least she had been able to spend a nice Christmas Eve dinner with Elsa after the stinker had been gone for most of the day, triple-checking on the plans for tomorrow. And of course, the queen remained tight-lipped regarding the location of her presents for the princess, blue eyes twinkling with the mischievous light Anna had missed in their 13 years of separation.

_I combed every _centimeter _of this castle! Even in her room! And…And I know she'd never hide them in our parents' room, so…how in the world did I not find even _one _today?!_

Anna let loose a frustrated growl, rolling onto her stomach and burying her face into the pile of pillows on her bed. No sooner had she done so, did a knock come from her door—Elsa's knock, in fact. A simple grunt was all she answered with, and the door opened with a soft 'click', followed by the swishing of fabric as her sister entered her room. There was another 'click' as the door closed, and soon enough, Anna felt the bed dip as the queen finally took a seat.

"Rough day?" she heard Elsa ask, the blonde's sweet voice a soothing balm despite being the source of her frustrations today.

"What do you think?" Anna grumbled, turning her head away from her pillow to see the amused smile on her sister's face. She tried not to enjoy it when the queen reached out to rub circles on her back, slender fingers eventually trailing up to stroke her hair.

The growing smile on Elsa's face told her that she failed. "You know you can't open your presents early, Anna. No peeking, remember?"

"But Ellllssssaaaaaa…you love me," the redhead pouted as the queen began to carefully undo her twin braids. "Doesn't that mean you should give into my wishes and tell me where my presents are?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, leaning down to press a quick kiss to Anna's forehead before sitting back up with a smile. "Of course I love you, Anna. But I'm afraid that tactic won't work on me."

"Damn it…"

"Language."

"Maybe I'll just become a sailor then," the princess sighed dramatically as her sister finished freeing her braids, allowing the curtain of copper to splay freely across her back. "I bet _they_ don't go to ridiculous lengths to hide their presents from each other…"

The queen laughed, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Anna's ear, just how she liked it. A gentle smile curled onto her lips, ice-blue eyes filled with nothing but unconditional love. "I go to ridiculous lengths _because_ I love you, silly," Elsa murmured, stroking the redhead's cheek with feather light touches that sent her body tingling all over. "And the brilliance of your smile tomorrow morning when the wait is finally over will be _completely_ worth it."

Anna smiled at the thought, tilting her face up expectantly. Elsa did not disappoint, swooping in to place a brief kiss on her lips, nuzzling her nose a little afterwards. It was too brief for Anna's liking, but if the blonde had lingered any longer, it would invariably lead to things that would distract her from still being somewhat frustrated with her sister.

"But I am not cruel," Elsa whispered as a small package was pressed into Anna's hand, the queen trailing airy kisses along the sun-kissed skin of her jaw. "You may hold on to _one_ to tide you over until the morning. Only one."

The redhead's fingers curled around the present, hearing the satisfying crinkle of the wrapping paper. As much as she wanted to know its contents… "Then I choose you," Anna said as she let go of her gift to tug at the sleeve of Elsa's nightgown. "It's our first Christmas together since, well…forever. _You're_ the only present I'd ever _really_ want."

Elsa's smile was achingly tender, blue eyes vulnerable and nearly glowing under the light of the aurora borealis in the sky outside.

_Sky's awake,_ Anna thought distantly as the blonde's lips met hers once more, the rest of her body quickly following suit onto the bed as hands came up to tangle into her fiery hair. They separated soon enough, but only to throw the covers over both of them and to snuggle deeper into the mattress, cuddling together. And somehow in the brief chaos, Anna's present found its way to the small space between them.

Seeing it reminded her of something.

"Since I technically shouldn't be allowed to peek at my presents…"

"Close your eyes, then," Elsa said as her forehead came to rest against hers, nose bumping, "And just let me hold you as you fall asleep."

Anna valiantly fought back a yawn, but ultimately failed. "You'll be here…when I wake up?" she asked as teal eyes slid closed. "I mean, I'll still have your gift as consolation…but it wouldn't be the same."

A kiss on her nose. "I'll be here."

"Promise…?"

She didn't need to see to know of the loving smile on Elsa's face.

"I promise."

* * *

><p>…<em>more than you could ever know.<em>

**NEXT: Day 5 – Christmastime**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Much shorter than usual, but…time constraints. Once I post this, I'll be in the midst of writing Day 5, but because of Christmas and family breathing down my neck to make myself useful, I will likely be behind again.

Reviews are welcome, seeing as I have no idea how I'm doing if there is no feedback.


End file.
